xii POLITICAL LIFE 293 



one's feet. The ventilation was so arranged that, in 

 Mr. Holden's view, no windows required to be open, 

 but we decided we could not sleep in the room without 

 fresh air, and had to summon the housemaid to show 

 us how to open them. The ventilation was, in his 

 opinion, so perfect that he not only permitted, but 

 rather encouraged, his friends to smoke all over the 

 house, telling us that no smell was ever left, and no 

 inconvenience ever experienced even by those who 

 disliked smoking, when a number of persons were 

 indulging in their favourite weed. I, however, noticed 

 that when several of us were smoking, the atmosphere 

 of the ventilated smoking-room became so dense that 

 we could scarcely see the ceiling, which gave me the 

 idea that, however perfect his system might be in 

 theory, it was somewhat lacking in practice. 



Apropos of the subject of ventilation, I remember 

 on the occasion of the visit above referred to Lord 

 Ripon related the case of an outbreak of fire caused 

 by the breaking of a burning oil lamp in the morn- 

 ing-room at Studley. The table-cloth, carpet, blinds 

 and window curtains were burnt, a parrot in a cage 

 died, and yet when the room was opened the con- 

 flagration was over. The Marquis said that he could 

 never understand it. I replied : " It seems to me 

 quite simple. The first blaze exhausted all the oxygen 

 contained in the air of the room, and there being no 

 opening for its renewal the fire went out. The parrot 

 was not burnt, it died of suffocation in the absence of 

 oxygen." Lord Ripon laughingly remarked, if Studley 

 had been ventilated like Oakworth House (where the 

 air of the entire house was said to be changed every 

 thirty minutes) it would have been burnt to the 

 ground; and added, "What a splendid argument in 

 favour of no ventilation ! " 



